


Clouds

by nicole345



Category: Gravity Falls, ParaNorman (2012)
Genre: M/M, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 23:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8346577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicole345/pseuds/nicole345
Summary: Norman's new boyfriend is amazing. He's smart, attractive, and fun to be around. No one has ever clicked with Bill like that. The only problem is that he isn't his. Loosely based off of Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield





	

_Beep, beep, beeeep._ The alarm on Bill’s phone rang. 9:00. He was supposed to be here by now. Norman knows how much he hates tardiness. Bill himself has never been late to anything in his life. Everybody knows that when a punctual person says to be at a place by 9, they mean it. **‘Where are you?’** Bill texted Norman. The duo always went out for lunch every Saturday. Bill sipped on his glass of lemonade as he looked up at the sky. Today the sky was a clear blueish color with the exception of the occasional clouds. The thought about the existence of clouds almost made him laugh because they were so meaningless. Big packs of air that suck up water from the planet’s oceans and eventually drops it back down. It’s like an overgrown and unnecessary Rube Goldberg Machine. It makes a process that could be so simple become so complicated.  A buzz came came from his pocket.

 

**“We’re on our way.”**

 

 **“WE?”** Bill quickly texted back, **“Who is we?”** There was no answer, so he just decided to wait it out. He must have been sitting there for 10 more minutes before he saw a familiar head of spiky hair. He waved him over and smiled inwardly as he saw the sweat visible from his red and black shirt. He must have ran here from his house that was two blocks away. _‘Idiot.’_ Bill thought

 

“Will it kill you to be on time for once?”  He asked with fake cheery smile. Norman was still gasping for breath as he let out a chuckle.

 

“It actually would kill me Mr. Punctual, then I would be dead. And you know what, I might even be late for my own funeral.” He joked. Bill rolled his eyes at his friend's dry sense of humor. Speaking of friends...

 

“Who else is with you?” Bill mentioned remembering the text from earlier.

 

“My boyfriend. Dipper wanted to meet you. He should becoming right about now.” Norman looked around.

 

“You didn’t tell me you had a-”

 

“There he is!’ Despite his gasping earlier, Norman shot up and went over to get him. A minute later, he came back hand in hand with a guy a little shorter than him. He had a bomber hat over his curly hair, and had chocolate brown puppy dog eyes. Bill had to admit that he looked better than the other men Norman brought home. In fact it’s been awhile since Norman has brought anyone home.

 

Ever since Bill could remember, Norman had always been huge nerd when it came to the paranormal. He studied them nonstop, and even at one point claimed that he could see ghosts. Everybody else in the fourth grade was too freaked out by him, so Bill was kind of his only friend up until high school. Needless to say, that made him very wary of whoever his friend brought to meet him because there aren’t a lot of guys who could actually understand his interests.

 

“Hi, I’m Dipper.” He said holding out his hand. He stared at the hand for a few seconds before shaking. It felt cold and clammy. Despite that he still had a strong grip. _‘Nice muscles too.’_ Norman smiled and Bill thought now was a good time to start asking questions.

 

“How long have you two been dating?

_Almost two years_

 

Where are you from?

_California, but I’m planning on moving soon_

 

_Why did you move here?_

_Research purposes. Although, it isn’t the same without my sister, Mabel, here with me._

 

Why isn’t your sister here with you?

_She’s going to an art school in Paris._

 

But you’re not going to a school. Why?

_I’m taking a year off so that I could for my studies._

 

What do you study?

_Paranormal activity. And this place is crawling with it.”_

 

He paused for a moment. No wonder Norman was attracted to him. Seeing a break in Bill’s questioning, Dipper continued. “Norman and I are going to search through the woods together. He knows a lot more about this than I do.”

 

That earned an ‘aww’ from Norman and a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed his hand to reassure him that he was more than good enough at what he does. As Bill watched this he felt something in the pit of his stomach. He ignored it in favor of asking them more questions. An hour and two breakfast specials later, Bill had found out a great deal about Norman’s new boyfriend. He came here from California not only to to visit Norman , but to take a break from the book he was writing. It was all about the supernatural. Dipper was an even bigger nerd than his boyfriend which is what they had first bonded over. He was only staying here for a week because he had to meet up with his uncle in Oregon. Bill had stopped with the questions since it seemed he had found out everything he needed to know. It looked like Dipper actually did care about Norman and enjoyed his same interests. Bill had actually found himself enjoying Dipper’s company too. He liked the same video games he did, listened to the same music, and they even agreed on most conspiracies.

 

After some time, Bill had forgotten Norman was even there. He was so focused on Dipper and the way his eyes lit up when he talked, and the way his curls moved under his hat when he laughed. He frowned and shook those thoughts away. “What do you think about the existence of clouds?”

 

Dipper finished taking a sip of his lemonade before he answered. “We are way too dependent on them. We need to start planning for when they leave. We’re already feeling it’s damages now with the drought in California, hurricanes in New Orleans, and don’t even get me started on Michigan.” Dipper said.

 

“You’re amazing!” He said laughing. “Why did you keep this guy a secret for so long Norman?”

 

Norman looked up from his plate where he had been staring pretty awkwardly for the past 20 minutes. He loved his best friend and boyfriend, but sometimes he just didn’t understand some of the things they talked about. “I wanted to make sure he was the one. Three times is enough for a guy to learn his lesson about trusting weirdos.”

 

“Oh, so you think I’m weird?” Dipper joked with a smile.

 

Norman smiled and looked deep into Dipper’s eyes. “You are the weirdest person I have ever met.” They looked deep into each other’s eyes and started to laugh.

 

“What about me?” Bill asked.

 

“Yeah, you too.” Norman said while not taking his eyes off of Dipper. Looking at them, Bill began to feel that feeling in the pit of his stomach. It almost felt like jealousy, which was weird because Bill was hardly ever jealous. Until...

 

“We’re gonna have to go Bill.” Norman said as he and Dipper stood up while holding hands and looking a lot closer than before.

 

“Wait, when can I see you again? Both of you, I mean.”  He cringed at the sound of himself. _Could you sound anymore desperate?_

 

“We can meet up tomorrow.” Dipper said as Norman pulled out his wallet and paid his and the brunette’s half of the bill. The couple waved as they walked away leaving Bill feeling more alone and confused than ever.

 

* * *

 

Bill had never met anyone quite like Dipper. He can admit that it does sound ridiculous, but the more they hang out with each other, the more that Bill is convinced that they have so much more in common. There has never been anyone Bill has clicked with like that.  One instance is when the brunette told Bill how much history he had with the supernatural. When it came to that stuff he was more of a hands on learner which doesn’t fit with Norman who would much rather stay away from the dangerous stuff and just read about it instead. Bill’s told his best friend many times how much more he would learn if he just tried the direct approach, but every time he brings it up, Norman just waves him off. Which brings Bill to his next piece of evidence, Dipper always takes him seriously.

 

After an encounter with purple pixies two days ago, Bill barged into Norman’s house and tried to tell him about the dust they sprinkled on him.

“They brought out some big bag of purple dust and threw it in my eyes. I almost killed myself on the way here. You have to help me!”

 

Norman shook his head and sighed, “Bill, pixie dust is harmless. I’m sure you’re over reacting, let’s go put some eye drops in your eye to wipe the remaining dust out.”

 

Bill whined, “But it hurts, and it feels like it’s kind of moving around in my eye. Norman, I’m telling you there is something wrong with me. You never believe me when this stuff happens!” Bill pouted then hissed at the dust starting to burn.

 

Dipper stood up from his seat on the couch and walked over. “Let me see.” He blushed as he leaned his head back to let him get a better look. After a minute of examination, the brunette grabbed his arm and led him upstairs.” I have something better than eyedrops that should get that stuff out.” He said.

 

Bill was led upstairs into Norman’s bathroom. Dipper ran around trying to find the right chemicals while Bill stood there awkwardly. “So,” he said in his attempt at conversation, “how do you like it in Blithe Hollow?”

 

Dipper poured some alcohol in a paper plate as he answered, “This place actually reminds me of somewhere my sister and I used to go in the summer.”

 

“What’s the place called?’

 

“Gravity Falls, you probably don’t-”

 

“Gravity Falls!” Bill exclaimed. He must’ve startled Dipper because he almost dropped the chemical he was pouring in alongside the alcohol. “You mean that place with the talking garden gnomes, manly centaurs, and magic mushrooms. Basically the most paranormal place in the world.”

 

“Yeah. I can see you’ve heard of it.”

 

Bill shrugged, “Norman isn’t the only one who does paranormal research. The real question is how do you spend summers there and live to tell about it.”

 

Dipper soaked a rag in his chemical concoction and turned towards Bill, “A strong will to live. Come here, I have to dab this on your eye.”

 

He looked back and forth between the towel soaked in who knows what to Dipper. He didn’t get a chance to see all the chemicals he used and judging by the smell of it, it probably won’t help the burning sensation in his eye. Dipper must have sensed his hesitation because he smiled and said, “My uncle taught me how to make the chemical cure for pixie dust. We had a few meetings with them and a couple of meetings ago it didn’t end pretty, so he taught me how to make it for future references. This is perfectly safe it won’t harm you.”

 

Bill was still a bit weary and looked nervously at the towel, “But how do I know-”

 

Dipper grabbed his face with the hand that wasn’t holding the towel and looked into his eyes. “Do you trust me?” He whispered.

 

Bill looked back speechless and just nodded. The only thought crossing his mind was, “ _Man his eyes are beautiful.”_ They were a dark brown. But they weren’t too dark that you couldn’t see the color in them . Details on his face like the bags under his eyes which were probably caused by staying up too late studying were now noticeable with his face this close up. Not that the bags took any of the beauty away from his eyes, in fact-

 

“Oww!!” The towel pressed against my eye leaked the chemical concoction into my sockets, and in the process gave off a burning sensation that was even worse than the pixie dust. He could feel Dipper’s hand rubbing his back, shushing him, and whispering. And true to his word, after a minute, he could feel the dust being burned away. A couple seconds later, he pulled the towel away and told him to wash his eyes out in the sink. When he was done, Bill blinked a few times and found that the burning sensation was gone. “That worked fast.”

 

“Told you it would be fine. Let me see if it’s all out.” For the third time that day Bill looked into Dipper’s eyes and was dumbfounded. How could someone be so beautiful, smart, and amazing? _His lips are right there. Go for it!_ Just as he started to lean in, he caught a hold of himself. He barely managed to get out the quiet “Thanks” before he ran out the bathroom. Ignoring Norman’s questions in the kitchen, he ran outside and headed straight for the forest.

* * *

 

The next day, the clouds were out again. Bill was laid out on the grass and looking at them, and for once he tried to notice the shapes they painted in the sky. But as hard as he tried, he couldn’t see anything but white blobs. Images in the clouds were just part of imagination. Bill knew that of course. People look up at the sky and see what they want to see instead of what is really there. Useless clouds.

 

“Nice day isn’t it.” Bill jumped as he turned to see Dipper leaning on the tree trunk behind him.

 

“H-hi. what are you doing here?” Bill cringed inwardly. _You sound like an idiot._ “Not that I don’t want you here, I just thought you were still spending time with Norman.”

 

Dipper chuckled and laid next to him on the grass. “I wanted to go exploring alone. You notice a lot more in the silence.” For a second there was a long pause. The air was still between them, and it seemed as if for a second the whole world was holding its breathe. Bill locked his head toward the sky and didn’t dare turn away. Not even when he heard him huff and say,”Guess you like the clouds more than you let on.”

 

Bill blushed, “I was trying to find the shapes in the clouds. A lot of people talk about seeing shapes, but I don’t think that it’s real.

 

Dipper turned toward him. “And why is that?” he asked amusedly.

 

“The idea that clouds will turn themselves into the shapes you see because of your emotions or what you feel is unbelievable. More or less it's just your imagination making you see what you want to see.” Bill now sat up from where he was lying.

 

“So how do you explain why so many people believe it?”

 

“I think that if you say a something is real enough times like that clouds in the sky can turn into the shapes you think of, people will start to believe it.”

 

“The Big Lie Theory.” Dipper said picking a strand of grass.

 

“What?”

 

“The Big Lie Theory states that if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe what you’re saying. Once, someone probably said that if you think hard enough about a shape, a cloud in the sky will mimic it. And from there everyone came to believe that they could change the shape of clouds in the sky.  However, some people can argue that a lie of being able to change a cloud’s form is not big enough to be explained by this theory.”

 

Bill  froze for a moment. He still didn’t turn his head, but he could imagine how the man lying down next to him looked. His hair blowing in the breeze and his eyes concentrated on the sky. _‘Now’s you chance idiot. Say something!’_ They were alone in the woods with no one else to interrupt them. He took a deep breathe and tried not to have his voice waver as he turned to look at him. But as he gazed at his eyes, he lost his nerve. His eyes were shining and his lips were curled into a smile. Dipper looked unbelievable like he wasn’t even the same species as Bill himself. _‘Say something!’_

 

He gulped and finally found his voice, “What do you believe?”

 

If it was possible, Dipper’s smile widened even more. “I do believe that your imagination has something to do with what you see when you look up at the sky, but I think it’s kinda cute. Believing something is more beautiful than it looks not believing in something just because it has been said multiple times.” Dipper sat up so that he was at Bill’s level. “Sometimes just believing that something is beautiful is a lot more beautiful than just knowing it is.” Dipper looked at him and asked, “Don’t you think?”

 

Bill didn’t bother turning to look up at the sky. Even if he could tear his eyes away from his face, he wouldn’t. Why would he? He could only stare at the belief of beautiful.

 

“Yeah, it sure is.

 

The days of the week flew by after that. Bill tried to meet up with Dipper or talk to him as much as he could, but he was always busy. One day he couldn’t meet up because Norman and him were hiking, the next time it was because they were exploring the old cemetery, today was because they were just going to lay in bed all day. This time the couple didn’t even bother to pick up the phone. He was running out of time since Dipper was leaving tomorrow for Oregon.

 

It wasn’t all bad. There were some times that he did get to talk to him. That one day he caught up with them when they were on a hike. He was prepared that time and had a string of jokes for the walk back that made both Norman and Dipper smile. Making him smile was the highlight of the day. There was another time when he “ran into them” at the old cemetery on the corner of Barker Road. Bill had to have been the luckiest man alive to come just after they had split up. As Dipper took notes on each of the grave’s location and condition, Bill amused him with graveyard pick up lines. Dipper called him morbid at the time, but that still didn’t stop the smile from stretching across his face. Another smile was another good day in Bill’s opinion.

 

He went back into the woods and found the same spot they were in and laid back on the ground. The thought of going up to Norman’s house and interrupting their day off had crossed his mind, but then he thought of how pushy that might seem. Barging in unexpectedly and ruining what might have been a romantic cuddling session. Not like Bill could blame his best friend. Dipper’s arms were almost made for cuddling. _His arms holding your waist tight while his brunette hair was tickling your neck and his breath hitting the side of your ear. Or maybe it was worse than cuddling. They were probably doing something way more graphic than cuddling_. Bill felt an ache in his chest realizing that Norman was probably going to have the privilege of seeing the expressions on his face, the look in his eyes, and get to feel his body pressing against his own.

 

 _It’s not fair!_ He shook his head and tried to stray the thoughts away from his head. Norman was his best friend, so he shouldn’t be thinking these things. He can’t think of him that way. _I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I-_

* * *

 

 

 _Beep, beep, beeeep._ The alarm on Bill’s phone rang. 9.00. Without it’s owner to turn it off, the phone continued it’s alarm. Instead of having lunch this Saturday, he and Norman were supposed to be at the bus station to wave Dipper off.  

 

 _Beep, beeep, beeep._ ‘I wonder if Dipper has left.’ He thought. Even though he knows it's more likely that he hasn’t. The buses in Massachusetts couldn’t be early if the driver’s life depended on it. The city has had talks about improving it, but so far nothing has come of it.

 

 _Beep, beeep, beeep!_ The sound of the alarm grew louder, but Bill still paid it no mind. He laid in bed and imagine shapes in his ceiling. He imagined he could see Dipper getting on the bus with only Norman to see him off. The last familiar face he would see before getting on an eight hour ride full of hot, sweaty, people who had probably never heard of hygiene. He would probably wave from the back window with that small smile on his face and eyes welling with tears. _You should be there._

 

 _Beep, beeep, beeep!_ He groaned. This couldn’t be happening again. _Why aren’t you there?_ “I won’t be able to stop myself and I’ll just end up telling him what I feel.” _Why is that so bad?_ “Norman is his boyfriend. He doesn’t need me there. “ _Don’t lie to yourself. Why aren’t you there?”_  Bill paused. What was the real reason he fears seeing him off so bad, he can’t even pull himself out of bed? Why was it so important that he keep his last memory of him as it was? Why is he afraid? Why does he feel like this?

 

 _Beep, beeep, beeep!_ Bill gets up from the bed. The ache in his chest is back and it’s making it harder for him to breathe. _This is all his fault! Everything was normal before he came. Now, it feels like something's always wrong when he isn’t there._ He couldn’t breathe... he couldn’t think. “What's happening to me?”   _You need to go._ “I can’t.” _Why?_ “Because, it's wrong to feel-” _Why aren’t you there?_ “Because Norman is my best frie-” _Why aren’t you there?_

 

“He wouldn’t feel the same! He’s in love with someone else and nothing is going to change that!” Bill shouted. He opened the eyes he didn’t even know he had shut and took a deep breathe. ‘I can breathe.’ he thought. He took another deep breath then another then another until finally he sat back down on the bed. Bill looked outside. He stared at the blue sky from his window and saw the clouds moving. The clouds that had no shape but people still considered beautiful anyways. The clouds that had no purpose but people still considered important. He thought about it for a minute before he finally asked himself, “Why aren’t I there?”

 

 _Beep, be-_ Bill stopped the alarm before it could even continue. 9:05, he could still make it. He grabbed his phone and ran out the door. If he wasn’t in such a hurry, Bill would have laughed at how ridiculous he looked. Still in his clothes from yesterday, hair still tousled, and bunny slippers on his feet, he must have looked crazy. But he was far past the point of caring. He ran across busy streets, and pushed past people. Getting to that bus stop was the only thing that mattered. Not much time had past before the old stop was in his sight.He huffed out of breathe as he came near the stop. “Dipper!” he shouted. No one else seemed to pay attention to him. Stuff like this must happen a lot.

 

He ran into the crowd pushing their way into the bus. “Dipper!” He looked around, but he didn’t see him. He even tried to ask around, but he was only met with a few sorry nods and confused expressions.

 

_You should have came sooner._

_He probably hates you._

_You never told him_

_Why did you wait so long?_

_You are never going to be able to tell him_

 

Bill drops onto the bus bench and puts his head in his hands. For once he ignored the unsanitary surface in favor of trying to silence the voices in his head.

 

_You shouldn’t have come._

_He doesn’t love you._

_Why didn’t you tell him?_

_Why didn’t you tell him?_

 

He picks his head up and focuses on the sky. Moving clouds and endless blue fills his vision. Bill takes a deep breathe and starts to say, “Dipper Pines, I-”

 

“Bill! Bill! I told you it was him Norman. He’s over here!” Dipper says waving his boyfriend over. With his signature bomber hat on his head and gleeful look in his eyes, he runs over to where Bill is seated and wraps him in a hug. For a second, Bill just breathes in the scent of pine needles and cologne then he pulls away.

 

“Why are you still here? The bus should have picked you up by now.”

 

“Nice to see you too.” He says chuckling. “And I was about to leave when I heard you calling for me. I knew I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to the most annoying man on earth.”

 

“And to think I ran two miles for this.”

 

“You ran the two miles to get here?”

 

Bill paused. He never thought about how long it was when he was running. Looking into chocolate brown eyes he says, “I guess I did.’

 

“Dipper! Come on, your bus is leaving.” Norman says from the crowd. Boyfriend of the year must have been stopping the bus from taking off without him. Dipper pulls Bill into a last hug and says, “I’ll really miss you Bill.”

 

He gets up from the bench, but before he can walk away, Bill stops him. _Say it. Say it now._ Dipper looks at him confusedly, “What is it?”

 

For what seems like forever, Bill looks at him. He tries to pull the words out of his mouth, and he almost does. Just as he is about to say those three simple words to relieve whatever he has been feeling his gaze flickers to Norman watching him from in front of the bus where he was holding the doors. He looked happily at Dipper encouraging him to hurry. Yes, the Norman he has known since he was five. The Norman he has seen go through multiple heartbreaks. The same person waiting for one of the most important a scruffy haired nerd patience and adoration in his eyes.

 

It hits him hard and Bill questions, ‘Is this how I look when I think of him.’  He looks into Dipper’s eyes and realizes that the only difference between his look and Norman’s was that one was always returned. ‘He doesn’t love me. Bill thinks.

 

“-ill. Bill!” His voice shakes him out of his thoughts, and Bill looks at him questioningly. Dipper asks him with concern, “Are you okay?”

 

All of a sudden, time starts moving again. Bill is aware of where he is and who he is taking to. “Yeah! Just wanted to make sure I got one last hug.”

 

Dipper chuckles, “That is so corny.” He hugs him anyways. They wave goodbye, and Dipper runs to the bus where several passengers are yelling in complaint. He must not care because he goes to the seat farthest to the back and waves at one last time at Bill and Norman before he takes off.

Norman turns to him, “I didn’t think you’d make it.”

 

“Well, this is our traditional brunch day. Thought we could still go.”

 

“Isn’t it a little early for lunch?” He says already walking in towards the restaurant around the corner.

 

“Punctual people are always early Norman.”

 

Bill looks up at the clouds. He knew he must have imagined the heart and the tree in the sky when he saw it. It was beautiful.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
